LeBron James leads Cavaliers into National Basketball Association finals

"Yeah, I think I'll have plenty of time to talk about next year", Stevens said after the game.

The whole world witnessed another stellar performance from LeBron James. He clearly admires and respects Tatum's game, and he wanted to convey that message.

It's been a rocky season for both teams, but the Celtics will have the upper hand as they will be able to feed off of the crowd that has given them an undefeated record at home during the 2018 playoffs. "I know that we will be better for this".

James believes that they can outhustle, outsmart and out coach whoever they face in the final.

With the way that the Green bounced back every single time we doubted them (especially this postseason), how could I not?

The scoring that had been distributed so evenly throughout the ups and downs of the first three rounds fell squarely on a 20-year-old rookie. I grew up watching LeBron and asking him to follow me back on Twitter, going to his camps.

Tatum's jam brought the Celtics within two points with 6:42 to play, and he gave Boston a lead with a three-pointer less than a minute later.

With Irving and Hayward back healthy and in the fold, coupled with a year of growth for Tatum, Brown and Rozier, Boston should strike fear into the rest of the National Basketball Association.

For the Celtics to win and advance, however, they must look for a combined effort from their young stars and their experienced veterans.

After the series loss, Celtics coach Brad Stevens was asked about defending the generational talent.

The positivity starts with Tatum, but it doesn't end there. That ghastly mark from three-point land made Rozier the first player in Celtic playoff history to attempt at least 10 three-point attempts and fail to drop any of them, outdoing the 1-for-10 Isaiah Thomas posted against the Bulls in round one last spring. "That's the fun part", Stevens said.

Terry Rozier emerged as an athletic, penetrating point guard who protects the ball.

For what it's worth, Abdul-Jabbar did score his massive total in just 10 games, but this goes to show the type of potential Tatum has.

Green's 3-pointer with 4:56 left in the third quarter put Cleveland up 53-51, the Cavs' first lead since the opening minutes.

"For me, I don't put too much added pressure on myself". The Las Vegas over/under on his point total for Game 7 had been 38, the highest of his career and the highest of any player ever in an elimination game. "You had to go out and get it". "It wasn't an easy fight".

It's a process, to steal a phrase, and the Celtics accelerated theirs this year.